Crimson Tears
by Fear's Blade
Summary: Blake Darkert has always been an outsider. Everybody he meets eventually runs away, shouting something impertinent along the lines of "demon", or "hell spawn". That was until Sword Art Online was released and he was able to beta test the game. He was able to hide behind an avatar and was able to interact. He has bought the game, but will everything be fine in the virtual world?
1. A Lonely Soul

Crimson Tears

_ Chapter 1: A Lonely Soul_

_Darkness and silence. _The world was less than a minute away from the official launch of the world's first virtual reality MMORPG, Sword Art Online, and in a house just outside of Tokyo, 16 year old Blake Darkert lay with closed eyes on his bed. He had been chosen as one of the lucky one thousand people to test out the beta of the game. It had left such a big impression on him, that after the beta ended, he decided to buy the game and the nerve gear. In the game, you get to create an avatar, a character that hides the real you and shows whatever you make it to look like. That was the deal-breaking factor for Blake: you don't have to be yourself. All of Blake's life was him greeting new people and then them running away from him, screaming, "Demon!" It wasn't how he acted around people, he knew that much.

Blake opened his eyes to see his alarm clock change from 12:59 to 1:00. The game servers should be on now. Blake sat up, put on the nerve gear, and activated all of the equipment. After hearing the ever so satisfying hum of the computer, Blake lay back down on his bed. As he closed his eyes again, a small smile found its way onto his face. The reason he bought the game was to interact with others without having them running away in fear. He could hide himself behind an avatar with completely different features, free of worries. As Blake opened his mouth to say the system activating words, he paused. Doubt and worry instantly invaded his mind.

He lived with his aunt and his cousin, but they were both out on a cruise, so if anything went wrong, there's no telling what could happen, but as instantly as the worry and doubt came, it disappeared without a trace. Blake took a deep breath. It was time to enter the world of Aincrad, of SAO. Blake then spoke the two words he would never forget, the words that would change his life forever: Link Start.

As blue stripes of pixels rushed past his head, his body was immersed into the virtual plane. Multiple circles showed up in front of Blake's avatar, testing his senses and making sure that the system was responding correctly. After all of the circles had turned green and moved to the side, a window with a character name appeared in front of Blake. It was the name Blake used during the beta test. The name in the window, was Krimunzon.


	2. The Beginning of the End

Crimson Tears

Yuto was walking around the town, getting a feel for the virtual world of Aincrad. He had bought Sword Art Online when it came out and was very happy he did. Before the servers came online, the sixteen year old boy was very impatient. He would waste time surfing the internet, but time seemed to crawl way too slow for his tastes.

Once the servers came online, he didn't hesitate to activate the game and jump right in. His real name wasn't actually Yuto, but for some reason, people liked to call him by it. When the window asking for a player ID appeared in front of him, he typed in "Yuto" and pressed OK. The game started and he explored the Town of Beginnings, getting used to the feeling of a completely new world.

While he was walking around, Yuto came across many different NPCs and players who ran stores and stands. The things they sold ranged from swords and axes to common crystals and food. It completely astounded him. The entire thing seemed so real, that he wouldn't mind living in the virtual world for a while. Obviously, he had obligations and responsibilities at home, so he put that dream on hold.

With the starting money that was supplied to him when he first started, Yuto bought a simple rapier and a few health vials from one of the NPC stands. The rapier was nothing special; it was a very simple tool good for beginning players. Yuto sheathed the rapier on his back and continued walking around town.

He turned the corner of a building onto a busy street crowded with stands and customers. There was a wide range of people buying and selling goods. The sight truly astounded Yuto. He had always lived in a small town with very few stores and a very low population, so seeing so many people on one road truly made him happy. He wasn't entirely sure why, but he liked seeing it.

Yuto walked into the crowd, sliding through the sea of people. It was quite crowded, so Yuto moved off to the right side of the street and hugged the wall. There were less people there, so he could move a little better. Yuto continued to walk right by the wall and soon enough, he noticed an alleyway. Yuto's curiosity got the best of him and he walked into the alleyway.

No sooner than he turned the corner did he see a fast moving shadow only a meter or so away. The shadow was heading right towards Yuto, but it was too late to try and dodge it, so he braced himself, still watching. Right before the shadow hit Yuto, it jumped right over him and grabbed a hold of a hanging flag pole right above him. It swung around it, releasing its grip and landing gracefully in front of Yuto.

As it stood up, the light shone on its face, revealing it to be a guy his age. Long brown hair fell in long strands down his face, partially covering his green eyes. He wasn't short, but he wasn't tall. All in all, he was your average guy playing a game.

Yuto took a deep breath and looked at the guy.

"Jeez man! You nearly gave me a heart attack!" The brown haired boy chuckled and looked back at Yuto.

"I could say the same. I nearly lost my footing. You startled me so badly that I nearly barreled into you." The boy laughed and Yuto caught on. The two laughed for a good five seconds or so. After they had calmed down, Yuto sighed and looked at the boy.

"After that happening, I'm never trusting corners." The boy found Yuto's comment amusing and laughed a hearty laugh.

"Same here. Anyways, my name is Krim," the boy paused and held out his hand, "nice to meet you." Yuto shook Krim's hand, smiling at the gesture.

"Yuto, likewise." Krim folded his arms in front of him, almost as if he was curious.

"That's pretty formal for a regular greeting. Are you royalty or something?" Yuto opened his mouth to speak but paused, realizing he didn't know himself why he talked so formal. Maybe it was something to do with that mannerism that was taught to him. Yuto shrugged his shoulders.

"Probably something I just got used to. My mind kind of acted on its own, kind of like how you acted on instinct." Yuto's brow furrowed as he thought about the action and spoke to Krim.

"There's no way a beginning player could act that fast. You're a beta tester aren't you." Krim sighed.

"Not getting past you now am I?" Krim chuckled and started walking out of the alley, motioning for Yuto to follow him. Yuto caught up to Krim and walked with him, then chuckled.

"Do you think you can teach me the basics of the game? It's my first full dive so I'm completely new to this." As the two continued walking, weaving through the thick sea of players in the street, Krim smiled at Yuto.

"I'd have no problem with that, Yuto. Let's head for a forest right outside the Town of Beginnings. There are plenty of low level creatures there." Yuto smiled back at Krim. Krim motioned for Yuto to pick up the pace and the two ran to the mentioned forest.

**_oOo_**

**In a forest outside of the Town of Beginnings**

The hog rammed straight into Yuto's gut, knocking him down on the grass. Yuto groaned in pain.

"Damn, that hurt!" As Yuto continued to groan in pain, clutching his stomach, Krim walked up to him and sighed.

"You do realize that you don't feel pain in this game, right?" Yuto paused for a moment, realizing that it was all in his head.

"Oh, hehe, right." Krim held out his hand and helped Yuto off of the ground. Yuto grunted in frustration, brushing dirt off his pants.

"I don't get it. Why's it so hard? Is there something I don't understand?" In response to his question, Krim pulled a one-handed sword out of a scabbard on his back. The sword was long and straightforward, but definitely low-level. The hilt was simple leather and iron, and the cross guard was a long, perpendicular piece of metal. Krim held the sword down by his side, turned towards a hog about ten meters away, and grinned.

"The combat aspect of this game runs off of things called sword skills. If you don't regularly wield a sword IRL, then you use sword skills." Krim threw a rock at the hog, hitting it in the back and causing it to run towards him.

"To initiate one, you get into its designated pre-motion," Krim rested his sword on his shoulder and put his left foot forward. Suddenly the sword's blade started to glow a bright blue.

"If you do the pre-motion right, your sword will start to glow a color specific to the move. Then once your ready to deal some damage," as the hog reached Krim, he grinned.

"You attack." Krim stepped forward with his right foot and swung the sword down dead center on the hogs head. The hog burst into blue hexagonal pixels, eventually disappearing into the air. Krim stood up as a window popped up in front of him, showing what he gained from the hog. It was only a few col and XP, considering it was more of a nuisance than it was a real threat. Krim pressed the accept button, then turned towards Yuto.

"After using a sword skill, you go through the post-motion of it. The post-motion is basically the period of time immediately after a move when your avatar is stiff and can't move. For low level skills, it typically lasts for around half a second, but lasts longer when you use higher level skills." Krim placed his sword back in its sheath and turned to Yuto.

"A sword skill also has a cool-down period, when it takes time before you can use it again. You can use other skills while you're waiting for the cool-down period to end though. That's usually the smart thing to do. If you somehow end up using all of your sword skills before others cool down though, then just avoid fighting." Yuto picked up his rapier, looking at it like he was studying it. Then, he seemed to understand and took a fighting stance.

"Okay, I think I get it now. Get into the pre-motion, then let the system launch the attack for me." As another hog spawned near the two, running towards them, Yuto took a few deep breaths. After composing himself, Yuto held the rapier back and up near the right side of his head with the tip pointing towards the hog. The rapier's blade started to glow a silvery-white color. With the hog running at full speed, Yuto launched the attack. From Krim's perspective, it kind of looked like a game of chicken, but it was clear that Yuto was the obvious winner.

Yuto's rapier drove straight through the hog, dividing it into two and bursting it into blue pixels. Just like it did for Krim, a window popped up in front of Yuto, showing what he had gained. Same thing as Krim. Strangely though, Yuto hadn't moved from the post-motion. Krim looked at him with a confused expression.

"Yuto? Are you lagging? Yuto, hello?" After a few seconds, Yuto jumped, throwing his hands in the air.

"YEAH! Woo-hoo! Ha-ha!" Krim jumped back, slightly surprised. After the initial shock, Krim folded his arms, chuckling to himself.

**_oOo_**

**A few hours later**

After hunting the creatures in the forest outside of the Town of Beginnings, Yuto and Krim sat down near a cliff overlooking the first floor of Aincrad. They had hunted a good amount of them, earning a reasonable amount of col for both of them. Yuto had managed to level up to level 3, one below Krim's level. After explaining how leveling up worked, Krim led Yuto back to the road leading to the Town of Beginnings.

"That was fun," Yuto said, leaning against a tree. Krim chuckled.

"I second that." Krim was standing near the cliff, overlooking most of the first floor. A slight breeze came across the opening, sending a chill down Yuto's back. Yuto pushed off of the tree and walked over to Krim, standing right next to him.

"I still find it hard to believe that this is just virtual. I can feel everything like it was real. It really teaches me to appreciate when and where I was born, you know?" Krim looked at Yuto.

"It's not that big of a deal," he replied. Yuto sat cross legged next to Krim, who was still standing, overlooking the forests and towns of floor one. Yuto smiled.

"Give me a break. I already told you it's my first full dive."

"I know, I know," Krim stated.

"So this is your first time using the Nerve Gear, huh?" Yuto nodded.

"Oh yeah. I got a summer job for the specific goal of getting the gear and the game. After I got one of the ten thousand copies of SAO, I almost immediately plugged myself in. I guess I could consider myself lucky, but you, my friend," Yuto said pointing at Krim," are one of the luckiest. You got to beta test the frickin' game!" Krim sat on the edge of the cliff, chuckling.

"I guess you can say that." After a few seconds of silence, Yuto asked a question.

"Mind me asking how far you got in the beta?" Krim sighed.

"I didn't get any further than floor eight, and it took me two months to get there," Krim pulled his sword out of its sheath, looking at it and added, "but I'm confident that I can get there in a month, tops."

"You're really into this aren't you?" Yuto asked. Krim stood up and walked over to Yuto, holding out his hand to him.

"During those two months, it was my main focus. It was all I could think of. Even it it is a virtual world, it makes me feel so alive to fight like this. One blade can take you anywhere in this game, and you decide where that is." Yuto took Krim's hand as he pulled him up. Krim asked a question.

"Whaddya say? Wanna do some more hunting?" Yuto hesitated.

"I would but," Yuto held his stomach, "I need some food." Krim looked at Yuto and laughed.

"I guess so. Unfortunately, the food in this game only virtually sates your hunger," Krim replied.

"Yeah, but I was prepared. I ordered pizza for 5:30." Yuto's mouth started watering just talking about the type it was.

"Oh yeah. Meat lovers and soda it exactly what I need." Krim punched Yuto in the shoulder.

"Ow! What was that for?" Krim smirked.

"Stop talking about it, or your gonna make me hungry." Yuto clutches his shoulder, laughing. Krim joined him in laughing.

"Anyways," Yuto continued, "I'll see you later." Krim waved to Yuto.

"Message me when you get back on." Opening his menu and giving a thumbs up to Krim, Yuto spoke.

"Will do." Krim smiled, then started heading back towards the Town of Beginnings. He planned to go get some more supplies with the earned col. If he was going to get past level eight, then he would need to stay up on weaponry and equipment.

"Huh? Where'd the log out button go?" Krim stopped dead in his track upon hearing Yuto's words. He turned his head, fearing the worst.

"It should be in the settings," Krim said, opening his menu up to check for himself. After opening the settings tab, he chocked. There was no logout button.

"Maybe it's just a bug. There's bound to be some. " Krim frowned.

"I hope so. If it is a bug, I hope that they figure it out soon enough." Yuto nodded in response to Krim's statement.

"Yeah. A bug like that can create some serious problems. I bet tech's freaking out." Krim pointed to the in-game clock.

"You will too. It's 5:25 right now." Yuto's eyes went wide.

"Oh no. Not the pizza! Come on! Really!?" Krim looked at Yuto thinking, _'He must really like his pizza'. _ Yuto started thinking.

"Maybe there's an emergency shutdown? A way to get the Nerve Gear off?" Krim started thinking about the possibilities. _'As far as I know, there's no emergency logout or shutdown. You can only log out with access to the menu. As far as getting the Nerve Gear off...' _Yuto had begun to move his hands like he was pulling a helmet off. Krim paused for a few seconds.

"What are you doing?" Yuto paused for a second and looked at Krim.

"I was thinking that I could take off the Nerve Gear in real life." Krim shook his head.

"No," Krim replied, "they built the Nerve Gear to render voluntary muscle movement inactive for the span of time in-game. The only way to remove the headgear is..."

"... if somebody else removes it for you in real life," Yuto said with dismay apparent in his voice. Krim sighed.

"My family's going to be out for a couple weeks or so. How about you?" Yuto looked at the ground with shock.

"Same here." Krim pursed his lips, thinking.

"By now, the developers would've initiated an emergency server shutdown," Krim said with his hand holding his chin. "Maybe they don't know that the logout button is missing." Yuto and Krim stood there, thinking when an eery sound set the hair on the back of their necks on end. Far away, the toll of the central bell in the Town of Beginnings broke the silence. Suddenly, Krim noticed a blue light engulfing both him and Yuto. They couldn't see anything through the thick wall of light. The light stayed there for a few seconds or so, then it faded away.

Yuto and Krim were force teleported to the central plaza, like every other player in the game. Yuto stumbled back in confusion.

"What the hell is going on? Krim, what is happening!?" Krim looked around, looking for some clue as to what's going on. Suddenly, he noticed a blinking red hexagon in the sky.

"Yuto," Krim said pointing at the hexagon, "up there." Yuto squinted. Upon closed inspection, the hexagon had something written on it. It alternated from WARNING to SYSTEM ANNOUNCEMENT. Suddenly, more hexagons appeared around, blanketing the sky and turning everything a red color. Everybody went silent, all ten thousand players standing in silence, waiting for something to happen. Then, a red, gooey substance started seeping out of the cracks of the sky. It was too thick to be blood, but looked exactly like it. Slowly, the liquid formed into a shape, the shape of a hooded figure. The plaza was filled with a deep voice.

"Attention, players. I welcome you to my world." Krim looked at the figure. _'What does he mean by that?' _The figure held out its arms to the side.

"My name is Akihiko Kayaba. And as of this moment, I am in control of this world." Some people in the crowd started whispering to others. Krim and Yuto were liking it less and less.

"I'm sure most of you have already noticed an item missing from your main menus," Kayaba opened up the menu and went over to where the log out button should have been, "the log out button. Let me assure you, this is not a defect in the game. I repeat, this is not a defect. This is how Sword Art Online was designed to be." Yuto clenched his fists, speaking to Krim.

"He's kidding right? He's got to be kidding." Kayaba continued on.

"You cannot log yourselves out of SAO, and no one from the outside will be able to shut down or remove the "NerveGear" from your head. If anyone attempts to do so, a transmitter inside the NerveGear will discharge a microwave signal into your skull, destroying your brain," people in the crowd gasped, "and ending your life." Several people were yelling things, calling BS. Others tried to exit the plaza, but an invisible field kept them from leaving. Yuto shook his head.

"Are you listening to this crap? He's got to be nuts, right? Right, Krim?" Krim bit his lip.

"He's not. The transmitter's signals in the headgear work just like microwaves. If the safety's disabled, it could fry your brain." Yuto looked down on the floor.

"Shit. Maybe someone could cut the power." Krim shook his head.

"The Nerve Gear has an internal battery. Kayaba thought this through." Yuto looked up at Kayaba, clenching his teeth.

"This is crazy, completely crazy!" Yuto had started to shed tears. Windows showing news channels started showing up, circling around Kayaba.

"Despite my warning, the families and friends of some of the players have attempted removing the NerveGear, an unfortunate decision, to say the least. As a result, the game now has two hundred thirteen less players than when it began. They've been deleted from both Aincrad and the real world." Krim and Yuto heard people around them yelling.

"Two hundred thirteen!?"

"This can't be real!"

"As you can see, international media outlets have round-the-clock coverage of everything, including the deaths. At this point, it's safe to assume the likelihood of a NerveGear being removed is minimal at best. I hope this brings you a little comfort as you try to clear the game." Sobs and dismay spread throughout the crowd.

"It's important to remember the following: There is no longer any way to revive someone within the game. If your HP drops to zero, your avatar will be deleted from the system... forever. And the NerveGear will simultaneously destroy your brain. There is only one way for a player to escape now," Krim and Yuto looked up at Kayaba, "you must clear the game. Right now, you're gathered on Floor One, the lowest level of Aincrad. If you can get through the dungeon and defeat the boss, you may advance to the next floor. Defeat the boss on Floor 100, and you will clear the game." Yuto looked over to Krim.

"How are we suppose to clear all 100 floors!? Even you and the other beta testers didn't make it halfway!" Krim looked back at Yuto.

"It's all we've got, so we have to work with it." Yuto was going to say more, but was interrupted by Kayaba.

"Last but not least, I've placed a little present in the item storage of every player. Please have a look." Krim and Yuto opened up their inventories to find...

"A mirror?" Krim and Yuto were both confused. They both selected the item and held it in their hands. Suddenly the blue light engulfed everybody once again, temporarily blinding them. The light died down, but they were still in the plaza. Krim looked around confused, then he saw it: everybody was different than what they were before. Krim looked for Yuto, and found a version that looked a little younger than his avatar.

"Yuto? Is that you?" Yuto was holding his head, obviously disoriented.

"Yeah," Yuto looked up at Krim and fell down with a look of shock on his face. "WAIT! WHO ARE YOU!?" Yuto crawled away from Krim with fear apparent in his eyes and his body language. Krim looked at Yuto confused, then froze.

"No..." Krim looked in the mirror he still had in his hand. After seeing what was in the reflection, Krim dropped the mirror in shock and backed away. The handheld mirror hit the ground and shattered into hundreds of pixels. Krim's voice was shaky, and tears gathered at the corners of his eyes.

"W-Why? W-What did I do to deserve t-this?"

What did he see?

He didn't see his avatar,

He saw the real him.


End file.
